Compensating transmission-gearing and axle construction.



.PETZER- NMPL10M1021 FILED 23.16, 1913;

,Patnted Feb, I6, 1915;

lst?

v3 SHEETS-SHEETI.

A. H. FETZER.

GONPBNSATING TRANSMISSION GBANING AND AXLE CONSTNUGTNON.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16,1913.

Llggggga Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

' A. H. PETZBR. COMPBNSATING TRANSMISSION GEARING AND AXLE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1913. 1,128,429. f PatennedFeb.16,1915.-

A s SHEETS-s522113.

v l I E 'T T fia 5 g3 'aa 0 25u, I 'I 1 l 11.5 3% Q q m N N I \E ALLEN H. Fmzme'on GALION, omay COMPENSATIYNG TRANSMISSION-GEARING AND AXLE CONSTRUCTION. y

Specification of Letters Patent. 'Patented Feb. 16, 1915.kv

Application filed April 1G, 1913. Serial 110,761,437.

T (/7/ 'Lc/1 om it may concern: i l

Bc it known that l, ALLEN H. Firmen, a,

citizen of .the United States, residing at 5 vehicles and it has for its ra ngcmciit Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsv in Compensating Transmission-Gearing and Axle i Construction; and l do hereby declare the following to bel a full. clear, and exact description of the inveiition, such as will enable others skilled t in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

My invention relates to transmission gearing for automobiles or other motor -driven l principal object to provide such gearing with improved means for compensating for the tendency of the axles to spring downward when the load is placed upon the machine.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Vide an improved universal joint generally applicable but specially applicable to gear-` ing constructed in accordance with this iny I y v f v and a sun and planet bevel gearing, onevention. Another object of the invention is to generally improve the construction tion of compensating gearing of the class specified with a view struction and easy and smooth operation.

lVith these objects 'in view consists inA the improved construction, ai'- and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed. Y ln order that the construction androperation thereof may be readily comprehended, l will now proceed to fully describe the invention. in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an approved embodin'ieiit of the invention; and in. which, Figure 1 represents a sectional view takenVA on a vertical plane cutting through the gear casing, some of the` parts being shown inT elevation. vFig. l i'epre.-'ents in interior view in elevation ol. one half of the casing and its contained parts, the other halil being removed. Fig. il represents a view'in Arear elevation of the idler wheel. Fig. Jfgrepresents a view in i'i'ont elevation of the saine. Fig. ."1 represents a view in elevation of the front face of the driving gear.

shown in transverse section. lfig. (i represents in vsei-tion enlarged fragments of the Fig. T. repreiiiiproved axle joint driving gear and the idler.' sent` in perslwetive view my lica ,li`oiliiiiig part ot the universal hbolts 12' passing through usual flanges and operato economy of 'con-- of the ball race the invention y 17 referred to.

` This driving gear the shalt'. beingl eral mechanism. Fig. 9 represents ldiagramu n s i e (`C` l matically,y 1n plan view, the ipiositionnot the I:wheels relative to the4 axles, when about to v start the machine.

Like reference same 'parts wherever they one of the figures of the drawings.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 and 1l indicate the two halves of a gear easing, of ordinary construction, except as here` inafter. specified, said parts 10 and 11 being adapted to be secured together by ordinary 1?. The: casing. may bel supported viny the usual manner on the .machine be upheld by braces, such as 11, passing under the flanges 13, at the lower side of the casing.

Suitable 'provision is made in shaping theV casing, for mounting the axles 15 and 16,

half 17 of a ball race being provided' on the inner s iirfac'eof the part 10to receive balls 18 against which yis placed a main gear wheel 19, having a corresponding formed opposite the half The main gear wheel 19 is providedon its inner side, beginning at the periphery, with bevel gear teeth 21 which engage the. usual bevel vgear 21a on thedriving ,shaft 211)"(Fig. 2) whereby said gear wheel 19 becomes the driving gear. carries a suitable,V number of lugsor brackets 2'2, in this instance three being shown, each of which is threaded rto receive a yradial stub shaft '23 projecting toward the center of the wheel, upon which stub shafts are loosely mounted planet bevel pinions which `are continuously' in Vmesh Vwithanl idler' bevel gear 25 and a driver bevel gear Q6', on opposite sides of planet pinions, ball races being provided between the main `driving'gear 19 and the idler gear 25 to accommodate balls 2T andl between the driving gear Q6 and the casing 11 to aceoml niodate balls Q8. i

The idler wheel isfprovided with a hul) 2) which is hollo'wedmout `to'form a socket for, aball 30 on the inner end of the axle 15,. saidaxle being4 also providcdwith a key 31 whichengages loosely, with considerable play, in a groove or in the hub 33 ofthe main driving wheel 21.

half 20 key w ayvv i 32 `Fig. S represents a modified form ofthe gentill characters designate the occur in more. than and will ordinarily l ini ' it will be of curved outline.

The axle 15 is provided with a cone 34 which with a similar cone 35 on an inwardly projecting annular collar 36 in a tubular projection 37' from the casing 10, forms a race for balls 38. The axle l5 is also surrounded by the usual axle tube 39 threaded into the tubular projection 37.

A tubular projection 40 is provided on the part 11 of the casing into which the axle tube 41 is threaded, which contains the axle 16, said axle 16 being provided with a cone 42 which with the interior of the tubular projection 4() forms a race for balls 43., forming the bearing to facilitate the rotation of the axle 16. While I might mount the axle 16 in a socket formed in the hub 44 of the driving wheel 26, in the same inanner as the axle 15 is mounted in the hub 29 of the idler 25, I prefer to and have illustrated said socket 45 as of rectangular form on a plane passing through it parallel with the wheel, in order to receive an improved form of ball shown at 46 in Figs. l and 7, said ball, on av plane transversely through it at right angles to the axle, being rectangular in cross section, while in planes passing through it longitudinally of the axle Transversely of the ball at about its middle, is formed a nearly cylindrical seat 47 for two rollers 48, said seat being open suiiiciently to permit the rollers to project slightly therefrom and to contact with the interior of the walls ofthe socket 45. It will be observed that the tubular projections 37 and 40, which determine the direction of the axle tubes 39 and 4l and the axles 15 and 16 with relation to the casing, are considerably inclined from a horizontal plane passing through the casing at right angles. This inclination is somewhat exaggerated in the drawing in order to make it more prominent, the usual inclination in practice being about two and one-half` degrees from said transverse horizontal plane.

The arrangement'of the parts as hereinbefore described, is such that when the load is brought upon the machine, the relative positions of the gear casing and the wheels will be so changed as to overcome this slight inclination and bring the axles 15 and 16 into an exact horizontal line, whereby the tires of the wheels will squarely contact with the roadway and there will be no angular rubbing strain of any of the parts `which lwould occur if the axles were normally set in exact horizontal lines and the placing of the load upon the machine would cause them to be inclined a similar amount upward from the machine, whereby, when the ma'- chine was in operation, the upper edge of `the wheels would be inclined inward and all rubbing joints would be subjected to an angular strain which would t`end to extraordinary wear and to quick heatmg and other damage. This correction of the angles of the axles with relation to the gear casing is permitted by the construction hereinbefore described, wherein slight play is permitted in the joints especially in those joilnts between the gears 19 and 26 and the ax e.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a slightly moditied construction of the general construction whchditlers from that shown in Fig. l in that the key 31 is omitted and the ball joint at 30' in Fig. l, is changed to the form indicated at 46a and 4Gb in said Fig. 1. The driver or main gear 19a of Fig. 1 becomes in the construction of Fig. 8, simply a bearer or support for the brackets 22 which carry the bevel' planetgears or pinions 24,-the lugs 49 and 50 on the main gear and the idler 25 of Fig. 1 being omitted. In the construction of Fig. 8, the gear 26a corresponding with gear 26 of Fig.

i 1, becomes an idler instead of the gear 25 in Fig. 1, except when lugs 51 on the disk 52 of Fig. 8 are in contact with lugs 53, in the same manner as described in connection with Fig. l, when said gear 26EL becomes the driving gear, it being connected to the disk 52 by said lugs 51 and 53. The disk 52 is connected with the axle 16 by thev driving ball joint 46a:v The disk 52 in Fig. 8, is provided with a. central stem 54, circular in cross section, which is journaled in a central recess 55 inthe gear 26a.

While I have specifically described the construction and arrangement of the various elements comprehended in my invention, it will be obvious to .those skilled in the art that vmany slight changes and variations might be made 1n their construction and drelative arrangement,l without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is 1. Transmission gearing comprising; oppositely disposed axles, each having a ball head upon the inner end thereof, said ball heads having sides, said sides forming approximately convex cylindrical surfaces, giving circular edges right angularly disposed toward each other, said head having a transverse cylindrical opening across one of said sides, a plurality of friction rollers mounted in said opening and projecting beyond the plane of said side, and planetary gearing seating and connecting in operative position vsaid ball heads.

2. Transmission gearing for automobiles comprising; angular and oppositely disposed axles, antifrictionalbearings therefor, a universal joint connection at the inner end of each of said axles, said joint connections comprising; ball heads having approximately cylindrically shaped convex sides, and a cylindrical recess transversely cut into one side of each of said ball heads,

a plurality of fractional rollers mounted 13@ centrally disposed in said planetary gearing, said seats being square in outline, oppositely disposed axles having a ball head seated in each of said seats, said ball heads having oppositely disposed sides which arey longitudinally curved to give a convex surface thereto, said ball heads also having a transverse recess out into one of said sides, and a plurality of rollers'monnted in said recess and projecting beyond the plane of said side, to contact with one surface of said seats.

In testimony whereof lV have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALLEN H. FETZER.

Witnesses :v

C. E. FETZER, BERTHA GOLDBERG. 

